Saturday, June 30, 2007

Double Trouble

I have decided to call today's post Double Trouble for several reasons. One, poor Zachary has a double ear infection (which by the way has not slowed him down much). I'm just glad that we were able to go 9 1/2 months before our first confirmed ear infection. We have meds now so hopefully he will feel better soon and sleep through the night again so that mommy feels better too!
Second, my boys are into everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! It seems that their genetic makeup is such that they were born monkeys. Or so they think. They are climbing everything. Nightstands, coffee tables, the tub, the couches....anything that they can get a grip on, they climb. Which stinks for mommy who can't chase them around fast enough! I remember when they used to just lay or sit there and I could cook, clean, and do any other chore that was necessary. Now, not so much!
The boys have been practicing their walking with their mailbox walking toy. They can walk forever with that thing!
Tyler proud of himself
Zachary on the go
Tyler sees the camera yet again
Zachary taking the world (or at least the bedroom) head-on
AND....while mommy is trying to fold laundry, the boys think it's fun to destroy the piles and pull the clothes off of the bed. So in order to contain them while I finish this simple task, they have to go IN the laundry basket! See why I say DOUBLE TROUBLE?!?!?

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

All kinds of fun things!

Today was a fun day for us! We took Kathryn and the boys to the Carousel for the boys' first ride! And mommy forgot her camera! But they had a fun time. Mommy almost let Zachary fall off the horse, and daddy and mommy got dizzy standing there throughout the ride, but we all survived and I think overall, the boys liked it!
Then tonight we got invited to our friends' house for a wonderful dinner! Mike and Tiffany have such a beautiful home, and their deck and back yard is awesome! We had chicken and hamburgers outside while the boys played. It is so much fun watching Tristan grow! He's such a cutie! I can't wait until he's crawling around with the boys. Thank you Mike, Tiffany, and Tristan for a wonderful evening - great dinner and awesome company! Somehow I managed to miss out on getting photos of all 3 boys together. We'll have to make sure to do that next time!
Daddy and Tyler hanging out
Zachary in Tristan's cool exersaucer!
The boys playing in the back yard

Monday, June 25, 2007

It's been 10 years already???

So, I had my 10 year high school reunion last weekend. Crazy, I tell ya! How could it have been that long? Sometimes it seems even longer than that though when I think of all that I've been through. It was so surreal being back there in Albany seeing everyone. First, can I just say that I have never seen so much Copenhagen in one room (well, since high school that is)! Some people looked exactly the same, others I couldn't even recognize. I quickly became grateful for the nametags! It's so funny to see how people change. Or don't. There are some who in high school thought that they were 'the bomb' if you will, and are now just these ordinary people. And others who I thought would not do too much in life, but be comfortable, and are now rocking the socks off of this world! Our class has some very diverse people. Mike was impressed with the Naval Aviator who had a photo in the memory book taken in front of this huge jet that he flies. Another friend works for the PGA tour. One of my best friends from high school is working as a psychologist in New York! It was so incredibly awesome to see everyone again. And see how even though 10 years have passed, some things are still the same. And how some things are totally different.
It got me thinking about my life and how blessed I am. I have a wonderful husband, 2 incredible babies, and 2 awesome step-children. I had my dream career at the DA's office, and was able to leave that career for my other dream career, a full-time (well, almost) mom. I have a beautiful home, a nice car, wonderful friends....not too bad for 10 years!
Here Michael and I are ready for the 2nd night
This is one of my friends, Stacy, who has survived more than anyone in 10 years, I think! Breast cancer, a brother who was injured and is lucky to be alive, just got married...I am lucky to have her as my friend. She is such an inspiration!
To my found friends from my 10 year reunion who are now reading this, I am so glad that I got connected back up with you! I hope we don't have to wait 10 more years to see each other again.
And since I always have a photo of the boys in each post, here is one of them playing naked (well, practically) in the front yard while Michael works on his car. I never thought I would let my babies play naked in the yard. (Well, actually I didn't - Mike did, but still.) Yet here they are. And they survived. And we probably got some votes for the 'worst parents award' from anyone who saw us. But who cares. They had fun, and that's all that matters!

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Inside Looking Out

I know you all probably get tired of hearing this when you read my blog, but I just can't help saying it again. I love my boys so much! Every day I just love them more and more. Last night was the first night that I missed bedtime. I was at my 10 year high school reunion (I will write another post about that in a few days!). So I didn't get to see my boys until this morning. But I survived, and so did they. Grandma and the boys had a great time! Anyhow, I just miss them terribly when I am gone. They are so cute and funny and just make me feel good being with them.
This morning, dad was out in the yard doing yard work. The boys crawled over to our french doors looking out onto the deck and decided to check out what dad was doing. They love their daddy! It was so cute that I had to run upstairs for the camera, race around to the side door, go out on the deck, and get some photos. You'll notice in the reflection that I am in my robe and bare feet. Try to ignore that part and focus on the cute little boys.
Aren't they adorable?
Tyler with his funny face just cracks me up!
Then Zachary decided to crawl under the coffee table and look out at me from between the bars.
And of course, whenever he sees a camera, he can't help but smile!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Random Tidbits

Today is going to be a random post. I have several things to write about so bear with me as this could get interesting!
Yesterday was Father's Day. We had a wonderful breakfast and a picnic lunch together. We made dad this pan of peanut butter chocolate bars and used mini M&M's to tell dad how much we love him. I am so grateful for Michael. This Father's Day was bittersweet for us as one of Michael's coworkers was killed in the line of duty. It was a reality check for us on how precious life is and how quickly life can end. My heart goes out to Kelly's family. I am so proud of my husband and what he does for a living. They face dangers every day so that we all are safe. But no matter how dangerous it is, I wouldn't ask him to give it up. He loves his job. I am just trying to remember to tell him how much I love him and how proud I am of him every day before he goes to work.
On to other random things in our lives.......the boys will be 9 months old tomorrow. They are getting so big! They look like toddlers now instead of babies. Which makes me want another baby!!! Don't tell Mike because he'll have a heart attack. Anyhow.....the boys have outgrown their infant car seats so we had to transition to the next step. Here we are, with Tyler in his new car seat in our living room, trying to adjust the straps to get him to fit in it.
This morning, the boys were playing on the floor in our bedroom. Mike had set his monster-sized robe on the bed. Tyler, who loves to hold on to and play with any sort of fabric, pulled Mike's robe off the bed and buried himself in it. It was the cutest thing ever! We looked over and all there was was this lump sitting up under this enormous robe! Tyler eventually worked his head out and here he is making us laugh.
Isn't he just the cutest thing ever?
And the last random tidbit for the day.....the boys love my closet. Granted, my closet is the size of a small bedroom, but still. We keep their toys in there so we always find them in there playing. I had to take a picture of it this afternoon because it just made me laugh looking at them sitting in the closet playing.

Friday, June 15, 2007

In The Box..........

Today Kathryn decorated a big box. She labeled the sides 'Rain, Rainbow, Sun, and Moon'. She and the boys played in it for quite a while this afternoon. Here are the boys playing in the box with their toys.
Tyler banging on the wall (he loves to bang!)
Zachary crawling in and out
Tyler thinking about which way to go
Zachary climbing up and posing for the camera
In other Sommer news....Zachary got his 4th tooth yesterday! He got a front tooth on top. He's got 3 on the bottom and 1 on top. Tyler still just has the 1 on the bottom. He'll catch up some day! The boys will be 9 months next week. I can hardly believe it!
And yet another cool note.....my sweet husband entered me for a contest with a local radio station. It was a contest to give away spa gift certificates. You had to write in 50 words or less why your wife should win the prize for being a good mom. Mike entered me a while back and I got called today and I won a prize! I won a $100 gift certificate to a day spa. Yippeee!!! Thank you Michael for entering me in the contest. I can't wait for my spa day!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Dirt in the Eye

So, here is a recap of our last few days:
My best friend Trish helped me get out the paint and make a project for the boys' grandpa. I thought it turned out really well! And surprisingly, we really didn't make too much of a mess with the paint. We gave this to Grandpa Miles a week early since he'll be gone on Father's Day.
Then last night, Tyler decided that it would be fun to pull a plant down off of a plant stand. And let me tell ya, it made a mess! Potting soil went everywhere! I had no idea there was so much soil in that little pot. The poor guy had soil in every nook and cranny of his little body. Unfortunately his eyes were also filled with dirt. He had to hop in the shower with daddy to get the dirt out, and still his eyes were full. We had to dig the dirt out of his eyes after the shower. I thought for sure my child was going to go blind, but, today he seems just fine. I guess I need to put the plants out of reach!
This morning the boys got a new toy! It's an activity walker! It's to help the boys learn to walk. Tyler has figured out how to push it and walk behind. I think it should be a neat activity for the boys. Here's some photos:
Tyler and Zachary inspecting the new toy
Zachary approves!
Tyler thinks it's pretty great too!

Friday, June 8, 2007

No more coherent thoughts...

So, I sat down to write another post for the blog and realized that I cannot come up with a 'theme' this time. Not that I need a theme, but what I realized is that it is very difficult to have coherent, cohesive thoughts anymore! It's amazing I can get dressed each day. So, since it's now 10:30pm Friday evening and we've had quite the week with teething and very little sleep, you are going to get random snapshots of our week. Here it goes....
The boys and I made a 'tunnel' in our bedroom. Our tunnel consisted of the comforter off of my bed draped over the end of the bed and the play pen. The boys and I crawled in circles through the tunnel. Here is Tyler on the go.
And yet again, Tyler finds another 'toy' to chew on. He has a thing for spatulas!
Yahhh! The boys are actually playing with a real toy!!! This is their table that they both just love to play with. It makes great sounds and is really easy for them to pull themselves up on.
This is their new toy from daddy. They are hippos that play peek-a-boo when you put the rings around their necks. Thanks daddy for getting us a new toy!
I wonder if I will ever regain my coherent, cohesive way of thinking before the year 2024 when the boys turn 18!

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Why spend the money on toys?

I have begun to wonder why I even bother buying toys for the boys. Yes, they do play with their toys and usually enjoy them. But, I find that they are more fascinated by pretty much anything else that they can find! They will be sitting amidst a floor of toys and they want my chapstick and my book. Take right now for example: I just want 5 minutes to finish this post. They have this cool Fisher Price table to pull themselves up on that makes every noise imaginable and where are they? Pulling on my legs, standing and holding on to my chair, playing with a piece of printer paper, pulling on the stand that holds the globe, and flicking the handle on the drawer (their favorite 'toy', by the way). So, out of all of their toys, here are some examples of 'toys' that they choose to play with.
Tyler and the bulb syringe
Zachary eating the coffee table
(he pulls himself up on anything he can BUT the toy that is meant for that)
Zachary playing with the door stopper which makes a phenomenal noise
Tyler playing with the bottles of Tylenol and cold medicine
Tyler shaking a diaper and a wipe
Tyler very proud of himself
And last but not least, Zachary using ME as his own personal jungle gym.
Well, I have now detached the boys from my legs and placed them back in front of their toys for the 9th time in 5 minutes and Tyler is now vocally telling me why that is not okay. So I must go. But the next time I look to buy a toy in the store, I will remind myself of this blog.

Bad Hair Day


Enough said!